Don’t be like Korach and his followers (Bamidbar 17:5)

Last week, my daughter graduated from middle school. The secular studies principal began her speech by giving a plastic cup filled halfway with water to one of the girls. The girl was told to hold the cup in an outstretched hand. After a minute, her hand slowly started drooping. She switched the cup between her two hands. She was clearly suffering. After a few minutes, the principal said why she made this girl hold the cup. It is a small amount of water, but after a short time it becomes heavy. But that’s only when you hold it yourself. Now the girl was told to ask her neighbor for some help and suddenly, it was no longer difficult to hold the cup. When people work together, things can be made easier and get resolved.

Korach complains that Moshe is taking too much for himself and his family and Korach gets 250 leaders to follow his lead. They start a dispute, but Korach and his followers were extremely unsuccessful. Why was Korach unsuccessful?

I think because there was not a group of 250 leaders that argued with Moshe. It was 250 individuals. We see this from the “competition” that occurred. The 250 leaders and Korach were complaining that Moshe and Aharon should not be in charge. So, everyone was told to bring ketores (spice offering), which is normally only done by the Cohain Gadol. Whomever’s ketores was accepted would be the Cohain Gadol.

Aharon brought ketores. Also, 250 other people took ketores. If these 250 leaders were a group then only one of them would have brought ketores. Every one of them brought ketores because they were hoping they would be found to be the winner while the others would be the losers. They were not a true group. It is true they all were against Moshe, but they all were against each other also.

I’m not sure if Korach’s and the 250 leaders would have been successful if they acted as a group instead of individuals, but definitely, one of the reasons for their failure was that the lack of working together. No one can do everything… actually, even holding 4 ounces of water in a cup is difficult to do yourself. I am grateful to my daughter’s principal for not only teaching this lesson, but showing us how true it is.

Good Shabbos!
-y.e.s.
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